TYR MCAT Evolutions Part 2: The Team Rises
by Wendymypooh
Summary: Teaspoon Hunter and Sam Cain search for just the right people to fill the slots for the new MCAT unit being set up in San Antonio, Texas. Can they achieve their task and form a cohesive team?
1. Chapter 1

**The Team Rises**

**Chapter 8**

The next couple of weeks were busy ones for Teaspoon and Sam as they dove into finding suitable candidates for Charlie Team. It was a challenging task, but they eventually came up with fifteen people they were interested in talking to face to face. Interviews were set up to take place the following week in the San Antonio unit's new base of operations. With input from both Teaspoon and Sam on the ideal location for their team to call home, Orrin had purchased a spacious warehouse in an industrial section of town.

**NEW MCAT Headquarters**

Teaspoon pulled his old Ford into a parking spot and killed the engine. He peered through the windshield at the two-story steel and glass structure that would soon be his home away from home. Teaspoon approved of his old friend's choice. The warehouse was located on a corner lot at the end of a long row of warehouses. The exterior was similar in design and build to the others' around it, and once in operation, no one would pay attention to the grouping of vehicles parked around it.

As he got out of his truck and headed for the front entrance, Teaspoon brought up a mental image of the floor plan he and Sam had decided upon. The lower level would consist of the Commander and Captain's offices, the bullpen, kitchenette, bathroom, conference room, and storage area. The top level would be split up into training rooms, co-ed showers, and weapons storage.

Teaspoon stepped inside and gazed about at the controlled chaos ensuing as the renovations neared completion. Painters stood on scaffolding doing touchups on the freshly painted walls. Electricians worked on installing wiring, phone lines, and comm. Units through the warehouse, while moves carried in furniture, electronics, office supplies, and a myriad other things needed to turn the expansive interior into a functional work environment.

As he watched, a pretty woman in her mid-forties, with strawberry-blonde hair dressed in a green blouse and jeans, came into view. Rachel Dunne had come highly recommended to him and Sam via contacts within the San Antonio Police Department. Both of them had been impressed by her resume, set up an interview, and pretty much hired her on the spot. Her first task as their Administrative Assistant was to oversee renovations.

Sam pulled his blue Ford Ranger into the spot next to Teaspoon's, and killed the engine. He set for a moment or two, willing his swirling thoughts to settle, before going inside. A chapter of his life had ended, while a new one was only beginning. He sighed, got out of his truck, and headed for the door. He found his father-in-law standing in the entryway, watching the hectic activity going on around him.

"Looks like Rachel has things well in hand?"

"Indeed it does," Teaspoon exchanged a grin with Sam as he stepped up beside him, "You get everythin' squared away?"

"Yep. Tyler's officially been sworn in as captain of 'D' Company, and I'm no longer a Ranger."

"Once a Ranger, always a Ranger," Teaspoon studied his son-in-law. "You regrettin' signin' up with MCAT?"

"Not at all, "Sam assured him, "Just processin' the change is all."

"Good," Teaspoon stated, "We both have to be at the top of our game if this is goin' to work."

"I know." Sam agreed.

They shared another look, before joining in on the work going on around them. By the end of the day, they had each set their new offices in order, and directed the placement of all the furniture, office supplies, electronics, and training equipment. There was still much work to do before Charlie Team settled into their new digs.

**Monday morning**

Teaspoon and Sam were welcomed by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and blueberry muffins when they arrived at headquarters. Rachel greeted them with the news that all of their candidates had arrived in San Antonio over the weekend and reported in.

"Let us know when our first appointment arrives," Sam told Rachel. "Send her in and have the others wait in the conference room until we're ready for them."

"Yes sir."

Teaspoon and Sam took their coffee and muffins into Sam's office to await their first interviewee's arrival.

Louise McCloud applied a new layer of lip gloss to her lips, and then closed the mirrored visor of her rental car. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She had a lot riding on this interview. Making the cut for MCAT was important. Not only would she have the opportunity to make a bigger difference in the world, but a new locale for her and her younger siblings to call home would be a godsend. The elaborate gifts had begun to arrive again, alerting her to the fact that he had found them once more, and it was only a matter of time before he would attempt to see them. She could not allow that to happen.

She exited the car, and walked to the front door. Upon entering the steel and glass building, she was met by Rachel.

"I'm Louise McCloud. I have an appointment with Sam Cain."

"Captain Cain is expectin' you."

Rachel led her to Sam's office. She knocked once on the door, waited for a response from within, and then opened the door.

"Miss McCloud is here." Rachel stepped aside to allow Lou entrance into the Cain's office.

After introductions, Sam gestured for Louise to take a seat, and the interview began. He opened her file and read from it.

"Your jacket is impressive. You are the youngest woman to be promoted to detective on the Saint Joseph, Missouri Police Force. Exemplary marks in weaponry, as well as a couple of awards in the field of forensics."

Lou shrugged, "The awards are nice, but they aren't the reason I decided to go into law enforcement."

"Why did you?" It was Teaspoon who posed the question.

"Initially, because it was an honorable career path I thought I would be good at. Now, it's not only a job, it's who I am. "

Both Sam and Teaspoon liked her response. They understood the feeling of being one with the job.

Sam continued on with the interview, asking McCloud a number of basics questions, before throwing out the one he was most interested in hearing her response to, "Tell me about Ivan Boggs."

"What about him?" She could not keep the edge out of her voice.

"What is your relationship with him?"

"Our DNA matches," Lou replied.

"Can you be more specific?" Sam inquired.

_Damn couldn't the man read? She thought her jacket was pretty self-explanatory. Did he want the moment she was conceived too? _Lou sighed and stood up. "Ivan Boggs is my sperm donor, and nothing more. He is scum of the Earth and deserves to rot in prison for the hell he put my mother through, and don't even get me started on all the RICO charges he has pending against him. "

_Great Lou, way to blow the interview! _Lou mentally kicked herself for doing the one thing she had promised herself she would not do; snap the moment Boggs' name was mentioned. _She wouldn't be surprised if Cain and Hunter showed her the door and was done with her._

Teaspoon ordered, "Sit down McCloud. I understand you have strong feelin's on the subject, but I need you to convince us that your connection to Boggs will not be a problem if you are hired as an MCAT agent."

Lou did as Hunter ordered and sat back down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, calm had filled her once more. She gazed at the two men before her. "Admittedly, I had a more visceral reaction to the mention of Boggs' name than I usually do. He is currently attempting to make contact with me and my younger siblings, despite the legal paperwork against him, and that always sets me on edge. When you hire me, I can assure you that if MCAT comes up against Boggs' or any of his associates; my personal feelings will not be an issue. I will conduct myself in a professional manner."

Sam studied her. He approved of how quickly she regained her composure and answered Teaspoon. It took strength of character to draw yourself up by your bootstraps, and handle an uncomfortable situation with confidence. "I think we have everythin' we need. We'll call you within the next day or so with out decision."

"I appreciate you considering me for MCAT," Lou shook both men's hands before exiting Sam's office.

"She'd make a fine addition to MCAT," Teaspoon voiced his opinion once he and Sam were alone.

"Yes, she would," Sam agreed, "I still have concerns about her familial connection to Ivan Boggs. I wonder whether she could hold her personal feelings in check and stay objective if we come up against him."

Teaspoon shrugged. "None us know how we'll react in such delicate situations. All we can do is give her the opportunity to show us what she's made of."

"I suppose you're right," Sam placed McCloud's file on the corner of his desk, opened his door, and asked Rachel to send in their next candidate in.

By the end of the day, four more files were added to Lou's, including Emma's. Three more were added to a discard pile. That left seven more candidates with interviews scheduled the following day.

**MCAT HQ,**

**9:00 a.m. the next morning**

"Hickok, what makes you worthy to be an MCAT Agent?" Teaspoon took charge of the interview.

"MCAT is looking for the best people; I'm the best at what I do," Jimmy said, meeting their gazes evenly.

"Tall talk for the company you're in." Sam entered the conversation.

Jimmy met his gaze, "That's not ego talking, just honesty. The Mag Seven ATF unit was renowned in law enforcement circles before they became the MCAT Alpha Team. With all they've accomplished since its inception, they've now reached legendary status. I reckon my fellow candidates and I are all the cream of the crop in our areas of expertise for you to want to interview us. Am I wrong?"

"No, you are not," His response surprised Teaspoon. Given the dozen or so disciplinary write ups in Hickok's jacket, he had expected a more volatile response from him, "MCAT needs men like you. You are an excellent marksman and strategist, among other things, but your jacket not only highlights your strong points; it outlines reprimands and disciplinary write ups. Care to explain?"

Jimmy sighed. "I have a quick temper and I was a bit cocky in my younger years. Those two things don't mix well with a supervisory officer who has it in for you. If you check the dates and names of the officer who wrote them up, you will see that most of them were written when I was still a rookie, and signed by Sgt. David McCabe."

Teaspoon did not need to look again to know that Hickok was telling the truth. "You expect us to believe that you were just an innocent victim in all of this."

"No," Hickok said." I'll take ownership for some of those write ups, but not all of them. As I already told you, I've got a quick temper, and I was a cocky bastard when I was younger. With age and experience, I've learned there's other ways to get my point across without blowing up and acting like a jackass. When I'm hired, I can't promise you that I won't butt heads with either of you or one of my team mates; because that would be a lie. What I can promise, is that I will conduct myself like a professional."

Teaspoon smiled. Hickok reminded him of himself when he was his age. Hell, who was he fooling? He was still like that. "I think we're done here for now. Stick around town and we'll give you a call in the next day or so."

"You got it." Jimmy bid them goodbye and left.

Teaspoon and Sam exchanged a look before Teaspoon added Hickok's file to the growing pile on the corner of Sam's desk. "That makes six."

The rest of their afternoon was spent conducting interviews with the other MCAT candidates. That night, Teaspoon and Sam barricaded themselves in Teaspoon's home office to go through the files of the last twelve candidates. It took some doing, but they finally cut loose two more potentials.

"Ten's a nice round number," Teaspoon mused before taking a long sip of his cold Budweiser.

"I'm leanin' more toward eight," Sam said as he reached for another piece of pizza.

"Eight's good too," Teaspoon gestured at him to hand him another piece of pizza. "How you plan on filin' down the number to ten?"

"Don't know yet," Sam took a bite of his pizza, chewed it, and then said," You got any ideas?"

"I might, let me ponder on it tonight, and I'll let you know tomorrow." Teaspoon told him.

"Sounds like a plan to me. I'm headin' home to my woman and my youn'uns." Sam stood up and headed for the door. "See you in the am."

"Night, Son."

Teaspoon busied himself with cleaning up the remains of his and Sam's dinner by wrapping up the leftover pizza and putting it into the fridge, and discarding the box in the burn barrel. He made sure the doors were locked before he settled down in his chair in the living room and turned on the television. As he flipped through the channels, he ran his free hand over Crockett's head to the Australian's Shepherd contentment. As he watched the tail end of a Walker, Texas Ranger episode, a sudden thought occurred to him. He glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantle, picked up the phone on the table beside his chair, and dialed Orrin Travis's number.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Nine**

**8 am the next morning…**

**Hunter Ranch**

Teaspoon was washing up at the kitchen sink after helping with the morning chores, when someone knocked on the back door.

"Come in," he called out as he dried his hands on a dish towel.

Sam opened the door and came in. He was immediately surrounded by three swirling, energetic furry bodies as Crockett, Bowie, and Houston all vied for his attention. He gave each dog a pat, scratch or rub before Teaspoon called them off. Sam shot his father-in-law a grateful look as he made a beeline for the coffeepot. He poured himself a cup as Teaspoon puttered around his kitchen making breakfast.

"You want some eggs and toast?" Teaspoon gestured at Sam with the egg carton.

"No thanks, I already ate." Sam settled at the table with his coffee, "So did your ponderin' bare fruit?"

"Sure did," Teaspoon plated his eggs and toast, refilled his cup with coffee, and joined Sam at the table, "You agree we need to test our recruits to see what mettle they're made of, right?"

"Right," Sam took a sip of his coffee.

"What better way to do that than have them go up against some of MCAT's finest?" Teaspoon grinned at Sam.

Sam returned the grin. "Do you think Travis will go for it?"

"Not only did he agree to it, but he's already settin' things in motion. I expect we'll be hearin' from Chris Larabee sometime today."

**Denver, Colorado**

**MCAT Headquarters**

Chris sat at his desk going over some reports when his phone rang. He ignored it, knowing that Gunny would answer it, and continued going over the paperwork before him. A moment later his com unit buzzed.

"Director Travis is on line one, Sir."

"Thanks, Gunny."

Chris picked up the phone, "Morning Orrin."

"Chris, Teaspoon Hunter and I have come up with a plan to not only test Charlie Team's applicants," Travis cut to the chase, "but also allow us to properly evaluate their individual capabilities before they arrive in Denver to begin official training."

"I'm listening,"

By the time he hung up with Travis, Chris was scowling. Alpha Team had better things to do than to go coddle new recruits, but Travis had a point. Technical, physical, emotional, and mental evaluations needed to be done on all of the recruits before he would feel comfortable signing off on them becoming MCAT agents. Who better to do those evaluations than members of Alpha Team?

He rose from his desk and went to his door, opened it, and bellowed, "Tanner, get your ass in here!"

"Ooh Captain T, you're in trouble," Buck Wilmington teased the Texan, grinning at him over his coffee cup.

"Eat it Wilmington," Vin quipped, winked at Kelli before heading to Larabee's office.

"What's got you so fired up this mornin'?" Vin asked as he cleared the commander's doorway.

Larabee quickly filled him in on his conversation with Travis. Tanner was scowling, too, by the time he was finished, and Chris told him that he was among the agents from Alpha Team heading to San Antonio.

"I'll let you have the pleasure of informing Dunne, Coulter, Sanchez, Wilmington, Jackson, and Standish of their impending travel."

"My pleasure," Vin grinned, "Upside to this I'll finally get my wife alone under a Texas moon."

"On your downtime only, Tanner,"

Vin frowned at him, "Spoil sport."

Fifteen minutes later, assembled in the conference room, Tanner surveyed the expectant faces of the elite MCAT Alpha Team.

"We've just been handed a special assignment."

"Oh joy," Ezra muttered under his breath on Vin's right.

JD's reaction was a bit more vocal, "Aw hell, you know how these 'special' assignments always get us into trouble."

"No shit," Buck concurred.

Nathan started running through a list of medical supplies he would need, "Bandages, splints, plasma,"

"Alright, alright, pipe down and listen up," Tanner ordered.

Josiah sat back in his seat and grinned at Vin, "Captain you have our full attention."

"As I was sayin', we have a special assignment. Pack your bags for a week's stay in the magnificent state of Texas."

"Good God, why Texas?" Ezra exclaimed earning him glares from both Tanner and Coulter.

"As you know Agent Coulter is the liaison for the MCAT Charlie Team, thus she will be accompanyin' us. We've been asked to evaluate them technically, mentally, emotionally, and physically."

"Are we going strictly in a supervisory capacity or...?" Sanchez asked, but was interrupted by Wilmington's groan, "You already know that it ain't going to be supervisory, right Captain?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" Vin said.

"Oh Lord," Standish sighed, "glorified babysitters. I predict our captain already has a rousing, spirited, enjoyable, exhausting, debilitating, humiliating, physical regime already planned."

"Standish, you read my mind. MCAT jet, five am, tomorrow morning, dismissed," Vin picked up his notes and walked out of the room, as the others slumped in their chairs, with the exception of Coulter, who followed him out the door.

"Wait up, Vin," Kelli called out.

Vin turned around and raised his eyebrow. "I didn't expect to get any guff from you."

"No guff, but I do have something you are going to need," She stopped at her desk, opened a drawer, pulled out a bottle of aspirin, and handed it to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 10**

**8 pm- San Antonio Airport**

Teaspoon and Sam were both on hand to greet the members of Alpha Team. They stood on the tarmac and watched as the MCAT jet made its drop out of the Texas sky, make its descent, and then touch down. Sam let out a low whistle as he got a better view of the sleek, state-of-the art aircraft that taxied down the runway toward them.

"We are goin' to have access to all the neatest toys," he grinned at his father-in-law as the plane came to a stop a short distance away from them, and the pilot began to power down.

Teaspoon chuckled, "That we are son that we are."

The two men sobered as the door to the jet opened, the boarding platform lowered, and Vin Tanner stepped out of the plane. Teaspoon smiled as he recognized agents Coulter, Standish, Wilmington, Sanchez, Dunne, and Jackson. Teaspoon more than pleased with the Alpha Team members Chris Larabee had chosen to send to Texas to evaluate the new recruits**. **He and Sam stepped forward to meet them.

"Welcome to San Antonio," Teaspoon greeted them. Sam echoed his greetings with one of his own.

"It's good to see you again, Teaspoon," Vin grinned as the two men shook hands.

"Don't let him lie to you," Wilmington quipped from behind Tanner, "He only came along so he could have a little extra one on one with his woman."

"Shut up, Buck." Vin and Kelli said together, causing laughter to abrupt around them. Even Teaspoon chuckled as Sam looked on in puzzlement.

"Son, Captain Tanner and," The older man explained to his son-in-law, pointing to Kelli, "Agent Coulter here are married."

Sam grinned, as he shook hands with Vin, and nodded at Kelli, "I hope you won't mind me pickin' your brains about what it's like workin' together. Y'all will meet my wife, Emma, in a bit."

"Not at all," Kelli assured him. "Vin and I have been down that road and crashed a time or two. We'd be happy to fill you in on the gory details."

"Thanks," Sam said.

After introductions were completed, Teaspoon gestured to a couple of black SUV's parked next to the hangar, and dropped two key rings into Tanner's hands, "Those SUV's are for your use for the duration of your stay in San Antonio. If y'all are ready to go, follow us, and we'll take you to your accommodations."

"Lead the way," Vin tossed Josiah the other key ring, as the Alpha Team members followed Cain and Hunter to the vehicles.

"I hope we arrive at our accommodations soon," Ezra commented to Vin and Kelli as Tanner followed the truck driven by Cain, "I'm famished,"

"Wouldn't surprise me if Teaspoon doesn't have a Texan-size feast setup for us," Vin told him, "Texan's are pretty big on hospitality."

Ezra rolled his eyes, "The size does not matter to me, so long as it is hot and succulent."

"Size _always_ matter Ezra," Kelli shot him a grin, earning her a glare from the Southerner, and a impish wink from her husband.

Behind them, in the SUV driven by Sanchez, Nathan commented, "What do you think of Cain, Josiah?"

"He seems amicable and capable enough," Josiah said as he maneuvered the SUV into the left turning lane behind Tanner and Cain's vehicles, "but until I have the opportunity to evaluate him in action, I'm going to restrain from giving my professional opinion."

"Fair enough," Jackson glanced at Buck and JD in the back seat, "The two of you have any thoughts on Cain?"

"He has a good record," Wilmington mused, "Obviously Travis and Chris think he has what it takes to be a MCAT Commander, or else he wouldn't have been offered the position."

"That's true," Nathan agreed.

"Anyone else notice we appear to be heading out of town?" JD asked, as he gazed out the window, effectively changing the topic of conversation.

The three other agents fell silent, as they too, glanced out their windows at the fading lights of San Antonio.

"I can just imagination what's going through Ezra's head right about now," Josiah said, exchanging a grin with Nathan.

"Forcing me into 'glorified babysitter' servitude was bad enough, now I'm subjected to endear roughing it as well?" Buck's impersonation of Ezra, elicited howls of laughter from his fellow agents.

Twenty minutes later, the three vehicles passed under a wrought iron arch with the scrolled words, "Hunter Acres" written in the center of it.

"Good Lord, it appears our accommodations are going to be rustic in origin," Ezra exclaimed as he caught sight of the sprawling log and stone ranch house with a wraparound porch, large bay windows, and at least three enormous chimneys.

"Relax, Ezra," Vin cautioned, "I'm sure Hunter has indoor plumbin' and clean sheets."

Kelli chuckled at the ungentlemanly snort Standish made, as Vin parked the SUV next to Cain's truck, and killed the ignition. The trio got out and joined Hunter and Cain in front of the vehicles, while they waited for Josiah to park. Emma was waiting on the porch. Sam took the steps two at a time to greet her with a kiss, before Emma flashed their visitors a warm smile.

"Welcome to Hunter Acres. I'm Emma Cain. I'm sure you all must be hungry. Rosaria and I have prepared a late supper for you to enjoy. "

Teaspoon led the MCAT agents into the dining room where a Tex-Mex meal of beef and chicken enchiladas, tacos, Spanish rice, mixed salad, Apple Empanadas, and Caramel Flan awaited them. Hunter waited until his guests had helped themselves, before dishing up his own meal. For the next several moments silence ensued as the hungry agents enjoyed their meal.

When he had eaten his fill, Teaspoon leaned back in his chair, and studied the men and women seated around the table. "I hope y'all don't mind, but I told Travis I'd put y' all up here for the duration of your stay in San Antonio. We are all in for some late nights over the next week and I felt that havin' you in close proximity would allow us more of an opportunity to work together. Besides, I thought y'all would be more comfortable out here in the country, than in some stuffy hotel rooms in the center of town."

Hunter watched with amusement as six pairs of eyes settled on Standish, who simply said, "Thank you for your generous hospitality, Teaspoon. I'm sure my associates and I will find the accommodations not only comfortable, but satisfactory as well. "

"You practice that speech a lot?" Teaspoon asked with a grin.

Ezra shrugged, "Not often enough, obviously."

After supper was finished, Emma bid everyone good night, and then headed to her and Sam's house. Once their guests had deposited their luggage into their assigned rooms, the group gathered in Teaspoon's study to go over the new recruits' personnel files.

"Obviously they are all highly skilled and experienced, or else they wouldn't be under consideration. So we'll highlight some bits of info for you," Teaspoon told Tanner and the others, once everyone was seated, "Analytical, decisive, Emma Cain, Texas Ranger, Criminal Intelligence Division, is one of the best profilers in Texas. James Hickok's jacket makes him a poster boy for a S.W. A. T. pamphlet."

"Louise McCloud, Homicide Detective in Saint Joseph, Missouri, and her investigative skills are outstandin'," Sam took up where Teaspoon left off, "William F. Cody's long range sniper scores are impressive. His Army Ranger trainin' as a helicopter pilot will be an asset to Charlie Team as well. Killian Kidd, DEA, his undercover experience has given him lots of opportunity to study drug activity south of the border. "

Teaspoon caught the glance Tanner and Coulter shared. He knew Cody's skills with a rifle would be of particular interest to both agents; as Tanner was renowned throughout law enforcement for his shooting skills, and Coulter was one of the best markswomen he had ever seen. He tuned back in to Sam as his son-in-law continued,

"Running Buck Cross, DEA, is fluent in several languages and a master in martial arts. Beatrix Lopez, LAPD Gang Unit, has an in depth knowledge of criminal gang activity. Marcus Jones, US Border Patrol, has extensive knowledge of drug cartels and mule operations. Noah Dixon is a forensics specialist and profiler, as well bein' an instructor at Quantico."

"I'm looking forward to having a conversation with Dixon," Josiah interrupted Sam, "I've been hearing a lot of good things out of Quantico about his method of instruction. "

"So have we," Teaspoon commented, "Ike McSwain's skills will be of particular interest to you, JD."

"Why's that?" Dunne asked.

"He's well known for his computer skills and technical know how. I think he might just be the man to be Charlie Team's Satellite Communications Computer Specialist," Teaspoon told him.

JD smiled, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I do my evaluations."

"You do that." The older man grinned at him.

"You've got quite a group here," Vin stated. "On paper, all have the necessary skills, but do they have what it takes to be MCAT? I know…,"

A collection of snorts, coughs, and a loud 'we' from Nathan, erupted in protest of his using 'I know'.

Tanner rolled his eyes, "As I was sayin', _we _know from experience that what makes a cohesive team is how well its members works together," He gave Kelli's hand a squeeze, and looked at each of his brothers in turn, "Each of us has a valuable role within the group. We all know what is expected of us in any given situation. It's goin' to take some doin' to mesh these newbies into a unit. Commander Larabee and I agreed that it is goin' to take a minimum of ten days or more, to make the proper evaluations."

"We're prepared to do whatever it takes to make a team MCAT can be proud of." Sam told him.

"Good," Vin said, "'Cause we have our work cut out for us."

"Let's hit the hay then. Mornin's goin' to come all too soon." Teaspoon suggested.

Sam bid the visiting agents and his father-in-law a good night and went home. Teaspoon waited until his guests had turned him, before going to bed.


End file.
